Student-Centric Focus: Juan Carlos Arredondo's Strategy to Reorder UAA

. The rector acknowledges that the university faces the repercussions of complex investment decisions, leading it to operate today with an “extremely tight budget”. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that UAA remains financially sound and the task will be to recover revenue under a familiar model: approximately 50% from the federal budget, 25% from the state, and 25% from tuition and proprietary income.

The strategy, he explains, involves increasing enrollment through the creation of new programs aligned with the state’s productive sector, particularly the automotive industry. His self-criticism is direct: the university has been “somewhat slow” in responding to industry needs. He also identifies an overlooked opportunity in postgraduate programs, which currently focus on “high-quality” programs dictated by federal guidelines, but could expand with a more professionalizing offering, designed for undergraduate graduates to make an immediate leap to a postgraduate degree. To this, he adds a front he deems strategic: dissemination, innovation, and outreach. From centers such as Basic Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, or Engineering, UAA generates knowledge and potential patents that must be converted into value, whether through consulting, projects, training, or collaboration with government and the private sector. Outreach, extension, planning, and finance will be, he anticipates, areas that must be “closely aligned with the community’s needs”.

A Hybrid Team: Trust and Institutional Experience

Unlike traditional figures in university politics, Arredondo entered the race “without a structure”, lacking established groups behind him. Now, as rector, he knows that building his team will be key to translating discourse into decisions. His approach is an “amalgam”: individuals of absolute trust by his side, and simultaneously, continuity in several areas where there is proven experience and whose appointments do not solely depend on the rector. “We cannot improvise”, he warns. The criterion, he insists, will be to recognize profiles of high professional quality and “consummate honesty”. In support positions and general directorates, he will seek to avoid “major overhauls”, while also opening opportunities for those who have demonstrated trajectory and capability within the institution.

Certainty, Transparency, and Dialogue

The vote presented a contrast: he overwhelmingly won among students but did not receive the same support from the faculty. He addresses this sector directly. His central message is one of certainty: there will be no persecutions or reprisals. On the contrary, he proposes creating stable work environments and moving towards a more transparent model for position assignments. One of his proposals is to restructure the committees that evaluate competitive examinations, to prevent the university from being “judge and jury”. Among the options he is exploring are the participation of external review boards from nearby universities or other schemes that strengthen the credibility of the processes. The commitment, he stresses, also extends to administrative staff, whom he describes as one of the most vulnerable sectors in terms of salaries. He anticipates close dialogue with unions regarding beginning-of-year negotiations, with the objective that all members of the university community envision gradual improvement in their working conditions.

Ultimately, Juan Carlos Arredondo’s project can be summarized as a virtuous cycle: restoring student centrality, strengthening faculty, caring for administrative staff, and reconnecting UAA with the real needs of society and the economy of Aguascalientes. The atypical election has already occurred; now it’s time to demonstrate that there can also be an atypical period in terms of its results.

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